Snooping
by Arones
Summary: Will goes snooping and runs into a bit of trouble.


"Shit!" Will called it out into the empty room and tried to tug his fingers apart from each other. When the movement failed, he cried out again. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" The harder his fingers pulled, elbows jerking in complete opposite directions and his cheeks puffing with breath as he worked to get them separated, the tighter the contraption became. This was not supposed to happen. "She is going to kill me."

Will groaned. Looking wildly around the room that he was situated in, he started to bounce in his shoes. He wasn't supposed to be there. Gritting his teeth, Will went from one expletive to the next. "Fuck… fuckity, fuck-fuck, FUCK!" Using as much strength as he could muster, Will pulled and struggled. "Damn it!" His eyes wildly moved around, he wasn't going to be able to lock the door on his way out, the one that he had to pick to get in, and he wasn't going to be able to set everything back the way he found when he went snooping in items and closets and boxes that he never should have been.

This was obviously why they weren't supposed to be down here.

Kicking the stone wall, Will left the room, using his elbow to open the door and toeing it as shut as he could possibly get it behind him, he left the room. Narrowing his eyes at the door, he determined it was closed enough and turned to move down the hallway. He had to find Kate.

Stopping by the room one level down and two doors to the left, Will stared at yet another door. This was not in the plan. He had to knock. "Jesus, could this get any worse?" Groaning, Will moved closer to the large wood blocking him from his friend and banged his head against it three times. It was muffled, deeper and softer than a normal knock would have been, but it was that or his shoe and he really thought he deserved to have his forehead smashed.

Listening intently, he heard rustling inside, but he didn't hear any steps. "Kate!" He shouted it as quietly as he could, his voice rasping as he hit his forehead once more against the door. "Kate, I need your help with something." He waited impatiently, as he heard her move around.

"All right, all right! I'm coming." He could hear her feet pad across the floor, boots and all. She ripped open the door and Will fell forward into her body. He hadn't realized how much weight he was pressing against the wood until then. She stopped him with two hands on his arms and helped steady him. "Dude, what's going on?"

Sheepishly, Will lifted his hands. "I went snooping."

"Duuuude," Kate dragged out the word as she studied the weird metal contraption surrounding his two ring fingers. "What is that?"

"Chinese finger contraption? I don't know, but it won't come off." He was bouncing again, and whining, but at that point he really just wanted the damn thing gone from his sight. "I tried all the tricks that I can remember, but it won't budge."

"Where'd you get it?" She ran a finger delicately over the woven metal, studying the interweaving of each strand and how it pulled and tightened as he moved. She was looking at all angles; Will watched as she bent lower and forced his hands up so that she could study the underside of it.

Will bit his lip trying to avoid answering her, but he knew it wouldn't last long.

"Where'd you find it, huggy-bear?"

"I resent that Tesla taught you that." At Kate's smirk, he gave in. "In Magnus' stuff."

"Tisk tisk, poor huggy-bear caught snooping." Her dark eyes were wide with laughter. "Hang on." She moved back into her room and came back with a tiny assortment of tools.

"What are those?"

She was pulling each item out, one by one, and examining them. "Torture devices."

"Real funny."

"I thought so." Giving a quick quirk of her lips, Kate started in on the device. Her eyes were so close to it that they crossed and she had to step back for a moment. Pressing the pointy end of one of the pieces of metal she retrieved into the only crevice she could find on the finger trap, she waited.

Will jerked away from her and cried out, his voice echoing down the hallway. "Crap!" When he saw the shock on Kate's face, he shook his hands together and waited for the pain to recede. "It hurt."

"What hurt?"

"Whatever the hell you did."

"I didn't do anything."

"I watched you!" He sent to her accusingly. "I watched you put that thing on this thing and then it hurt."

"Hurt how?" Kate sauntered forward to lean against the doorframe where Will had once been. Her ankle rested across the top part of her boot and she crossed her arms over her chest; staring and demanding an answer.

Narrowing his eyes, Will answered. "Like it got smaller and with electricity."

"Interesting."

The click of heels down the hallway caused Will to jump back and behind Kate as she straightened. His eyes became wide with guilt and Kate turned her head to glance back at him. "You tell her about this and I'll tell her about that little mishap on the subway last week."

Growling, Kate nodded. "Fine. Secret's safe." At her acquiescence, Will moved his hands so that Magnus wouldn't be able to see them when she arrived. Kate, thankfully, stood in front of him. "Hey, boss."

"Kate… Will…" Magnus' eyes narrowed on her protégé and he gulped. She knew. He knew she knew. There was no other way to explain that look. "Kate, I need you to do a pick up at the docks, Henry is busy in the labs."

"Yeah, no prob."

Magnus nodded her head and continued to stare at Will. "Anything I can do?" He asked, quietly hoping that there wasn't.

"More than you know, but for now just stay close." Her nose wrinkled and she winked at him before continuing down the hallway. "Oh and Will?"

"Yeah?"

She was staring directly at him, his hands forcibly against his stomach as he turned and Kate followed suit, keeping her body in front of his. "I would most enjoy your company tonight. I had a new shipment of wine that arrive just today, I think you should find one to your liking."

"Which one?"

Smiling, and blushing slightly, Magnus answered, "It's called the 'Penetration Cabernet Sauvignon'." She was waiting for his reaction, for the red that rose to his cheeks and his eyes to grow wide. He saw her waiting, and she was not disappointed. He watched her eyes flick to Kate and Magnus chuckled before she started to walk away, calling over her shoulder. "It's from the Naked Winery." Waving a hand, she disappeared around the corner.

"William?" Kate pursed her lips and turned slowly to the man behind her. "Need to share something?"

"Nothing." His face was beating furiously red and he raced, in the opposite direction Magnus had gone, down to Henry's lab.

Will burst into the room as soon as he saw the back of the HAP's head and started in immediately on him. "Henry! Oh thank God you're here, I need your help with this stupid thing that I…" He trailed of when he glanced up and saw Magnus' quiet blue eyes sparkling at him from the other side of Henry's desk. "Hey Magnus." He said it slowly.

"Will." She answered, waiting for Henry to turn and look at him.

Henry's eyes glanced over Will, who immediately sidled on up to him and stood far closer than he normally did. "What's up?"

"Ummm… nothing? What are you guys doing?" Will tried to change the topic at hand.

Magnus cocked her head to the side and waited the tension out, letting it build until it was a penultimate before speaking. "I was asking Henry to look into a video surveillance for me; perhaps you could be of assistance?" Her eyebrow rose and Will felt like he was under a microscope.

"Yeah… maybe I can be."

"Good." She moved around the desk and Will flipped Henry's jacket that was on the back of his chair over his hands, releasing a breath when he was able to balance the material so it wouldn't fall. Magnus stopped just behind him, her lips next to his ear. "Don't forget about the wine, William. I would be most disappointed if you failed to join me."

Will didn't dare turn to face her; she was still too close, her body pressed against his. "Yeah… I'll be there." He felt her leave and waited until he couldn't hear her in the hall before turning to Henry and letting the tension flow from his body. "Holy Jesus."

"What was that about?"

"Nothing… just the usual flirting."

"That was more than the usual." Henry answered before turning back to his computer.

"Sure, whatever. Henry, really I do need your help." The HAP turned back and waited for his friend to answer. "Ummm… do you mind?" Will held his hands out and waited for Henry to take the jacket off.

The grin on the man's face did not warm Will's body. Rather it caused a sudden chill and a twist in his stomach. "You went into her stuff, didn't you?"

"Yeah… can you help?"

"I can try." Henry twisted around and pulled out a tool. "Can't guarantee anything though, when Ash got caught in this thing the Doc was the only one that could get it off."

"Ashley?"

"Yup… went snooping."

Will Jumped back and shook his hands when the electrical shock that Henry sent through the metal surrounding his fingers jolted up his arms. "Ow!"

"Well I didn't say it wouldn't hurt." Henry pulled him back and tried again. Giving up after the third try, Henry reached back for another device. Turning it on, Will watched the tiny blade spin to life.

"Uhhh… never mind. I'll ask Magnus."

"Fine. Your choice." Smirking, Henry turned back to his monitor. "Don't say I didn't warn you though."

"Warn me about what?"

Henry shook his head and refused to answer. Will left the room with a drag in his step and made for Magnus' office. Taking a detour back to his room, he pushed the door open and sat on his bed. Letting out a breath, Will laid back against the pillows and brushed his forearms over his cheeks, since he couldn't use his hands. "I really need to stop snooping around her stuff."

Twiddling his toes in his shoes, he thought about any alternatives he hadn't tried yet. Standing suddenly, he moved to the bathroom and stared at the sink. Soap and water—it was supposed to work on rings, right? Turning his head to the side, Will tried to figure out how to turn the water on. Using his three fingers on his left hand that weren't confined in tight fitting metal, he slowly twisted the nob until hot water was running. Will grabbed for the bar of soap and stuck it under the water. Bending his wrists awkwardly, he managed to get a few suds before giving up and throwing the bar back on the counter.

That wasn't going to work. Brushing the back of his hand over the soap, he hoped that he was getting the slimy suds near the metal. When he removed his hand and looked at it, he realized he was not so lucky. "Really?" Will rolled his eyes and ran his hand quickly under the water before bringing the back of his left hand up to his chin and rubbing, creating suds and soap and feeling them work their way along his left ring finger. "Much better." Doing the same with his right hand, Will moved his fingers away to stare down at them.

"Now… work? Please?" His brows rose and he slowly pulled his hands apart from each other. They stopped moving and the metal clenched down on his knuckles. "Damn it!" Glaring into the mirror at his reflection, Will let out a growl. He started to look around the tiny room, searching for anything that might be of use to him. Slipping open a door with his pointer finger, he looked inside before running his hands under the water, rinsing the soap.

Reaching inside, he gripped a small bottle and popped the lid with his teeth. "Anything goes." Squeezing it with his chin and shoulder onto his hands, will realized he hand the same issue as before. "Oh this is so gross." Grimacing, Will brought his hands to his chin and smeared the lube into his fingers. "Gross, gross, gross, gross!" He pulled his hands away as soon as it thought it would be possible and took a deep breath bolstering for this one last try. Using his biceps, he moved his hands apart.

The device didn't budge.

Trying it again, he pulled harder and harder until he felt both his wrists pop. "Oh fuck it!" Washing his hands as best he could, he turned the water off and tried to dry his hands on the towel hanging from the back of the door. Grinding his molars, Will trudged to her office. Entering the room, he saw her seated in the red leather chair, wine glass in hand, and book in her lab.

"Give up so soon, Will?"

Her back was to him, but he was sure she was smiling at him. "Give up on what?"

"Trying to get it off."

"I don't even want to know how you figured it out." He moved around to face her, his hands held out in front of him. "Can you get it off?"

"Possibly." The corners of her mouth turned up and she took a long sip of her wine. "I'm not positive that I remember how to unlock it."

"Magnus, you remember everything."

Her head turned to the side and she raised up, setting the book on the table in front of her, along with her wine glass. "Sit." Will didn't give her any argument, and sat down still holding his hands up and out for her. She stared at him quietly, her eyes running over his body and it made his shudder. "Do you really think that I remember everything?"

"Yes. Well, just about." He was nervous; the butterflies were taking over his stomach and moving up into his chest.

Magnus bit her lip before suddenly bending low over him. Will had to move his hands otherwise her breasts would have run directly into them. He set them in his lap and stared into her deep blue eyes. "I remember sitting on that couch a few years ago."

"Uhhhh… Which time?"

She smiled at him, "I remember being buried deep underwater in a submarine, pressing against you in a crazed state." Her voice dropped and her lips brushed against his ear. Will gulped at the heat against his neck. "I also remember that I locked the door to my room and my closet when I left this morning. Care to explain how it became unlocked?"

Will's eyes wildly looked from side to side as he struggled to answer her.

"That I locked the box that this contraction was in and that no one is allowed in my personal memento's whether they be in the catacombs or in my rooms?"

"Yeah, see? You remember everything."

"Aye, I remember quite a bit." She was still close to him; Will could feel her breath and the heat from her body. Too close.

"Do you…" he had to swallow, "do you remember how to unlock it?"

"I might." Again her answer was not what he wanted to hear. Will watched as Magnus stepped around the chair and rested her hands on his shoulders. He felt her fingers knead slowly into his muscles before sliding down his arms. "Do you know what this device was built for?"

"Nope." He choked.

"Perhaps you would like to find out."

Shaking his head, Will answered. "I'm not so sure I would."

Magnus chuckled and flicked her thumbs over his fingers and across the metal, using a slow back and forth pattern. Will watched, completely entranced by the movement. He barely noticed when the metal was slipped from his hands and she grasped it tightly in her fist. Turning his head to thank her, his lips met hers in an awkward brush.

She didn't pull back.

He didn't move.

They stayed there, breath mingling and hearts racing. Will's mind was spurning outcomes and demands until they all became muddled as her lips were pressed against his. He took in a deep breath, his palm coming to cover her cheek as she parted her mouth and her tongue slipped out. She gripped the back of the chair and leaned further over, tilting his head back and Will slid into the move. Magnus' teeth scraped against his lower lip and he opened his eyes to stare into the deep blue orbs.

"Will?"

"Yeah?" His voice was deep and husky and he was having difficulty paying attention.

"What is on your face?"

"Uhhh… lube?" He watched her step back and her body convulse as she tried to hold back the laugh. She did it twice more before giving in and covering her mouth with a hand and letting the sweetest sounding giggle out. Her eyes closed and her face turned red as she stepped around him and picked up her wine glass. "I'm gonna… go clean up." He pointed to the door and didn't wait for a dismissal before standing to leave.

"Don't forget to come back for the wine. It's quite an interesting flavor."

"Riiiight." He answered. "The Penetration Cabernet Sauvignon."

"It's quite good, for more than one thing." Her eyes were squinting at him, flirting and his cheeks were burning before he dodged out the door and made to wash his face.

* * *

A/N: Check out .com for more info on the wine!


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